Tuesday, October 19, 2010

It's not everyday you'll see the words comfort and airline in the same sentence. And add in the word hospital and nothing seems right! But if you let your guard down, what London based designer Paul Priestman of Priestmangoode has come up with is a streamlined idea to lower costs of healthcare and provide more efficient service. The rendering above is the proposed Preistmangoode hospital bed which would be staggered in rows divided by low walls in what they describe as "Recovery Lounge Pods", where patients could rest after basic procedures. Each bed contains a reclining chair, magazine rack and pull out tv with On_Demand movie access. The logic of hospital staff being able to tend to patients easier like airline attendants tend to passengers allows for more beds in less space and less staff for more patients, however the trade off becomes privacy. Will hospitals start to privatize to those who can afford the luxury of their own room in times of illness?

Although the concept is a good one, I'm not sure I would want to be within such close quarters with other ailing folks. I mean, it's always my luck to sit within 3 feet of a screaming baby, who's to say that luck wouldn't carry over to my Recovery Lounge Pod? You can't exactly complain about those kinds of things without people looking at you like you just you just kicked a puppy. This idea is not without merit, especially in overpopulated countries where healthcare is an issue and there are shortages of doctors and staff. But I'd like to see an adults only airline (aka no screaming babies, no kids under 18) airline before this community rec-center like hospital. I swear, I would pay extra. Thoughts?

Now that is a living room I could really LIVE in! Mary McDonald has a new book out featuring most of her work including this grand Hancock Park restoration. Some of her stuff is considered a little over the top (Pagoda guest room?) but in this case, she hits my design heart dead on. Photos by Melanie Acevedo.

To check out more of Mary's interiors, buy the Rizzoli book; Mary McDonald Interiors: The Allure of Style.